***PLEASE READ THIS POST IN ITS ENTIRETY FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING MY CLASSROOM THIS SEMESTER***

Happy New Year Scientists!  I hope you all had a wonderful time with your family and friends and celebrated the joy that comes with the holiday spirit.  I have wonderful news to mention as my husband and I welcomed our baby girl, Ara Clare over the holiday.  Fashionably late by three days, Ara decided to make her appearance on December 29th at 5:46 pm.  She weighed 7 lbs 15 ounces and measured 20 inches long.   She is healthy and happy and our little family is doing well.  I miss my students and I can’t wait to see you all in a few months, but I have to admit that this job is just as fun as being with you.  As you can see below, Ara came out rockin’…

Ara Clare rockin' the air guitar!

Although we have a short week, it will be back to business as usual.  This week we begin the new semester and you know what that means?  A fresh start for everyone- a clean slate to begin the new grading period.  Do your best from the beginning and maintain those great grades for the remainder of the semester to end on a high note!  Report cards will be going out next Friday 01/13 so parents please be ready to keep an eye out for them.  Also, the gradebook for 2nd semester is all ready to go, so you will know of assignments and their due dates well in advance of my blog.  And please keep in mind that just because a grade is blank, it doesn’t mean that it’s a zero.  Remember to reach out to Mrs. Sumner as the semester continues – florencesumner@att.net or Mrs. Vikingson for any questions regarding my class.  Although I will still be receiving emails and checking them, I, understandably, will not be responding to work related items until my return in late March.

This week we continue with our human body unit as we work with the Digestive system.  Friday will be an INB quiz covering Invertebrate classification all the way up to our notes on Digestion.  Make sure INBs are up to date with work!

Human Body: Digestive

Standards: S7L2c, S7L2d, S7L2e, S7CS10, S7CS5

IB Connections: Human Ingenuity; Health & Social Education; Approaches to Learning

Objectives:  Students will identify the systems of the human body and their functions.  Students will understand how the systems relate to one another and work together to maintain homeostasis within the body.

Essential questions:

1. What are the levels of organization in the body?
2. What is homeostasis?
3. How do the systems of the body relate to one another?

Higher Level Questioning:

1.  How do the systems of the body work together to perform the necessary functions for life?

2.  How are the organ systems of the body similar to the organelles of a cell?

Websites for the Human Body and Integumentary System:

How the Body Works  InnerBody  Your Gross and Cool Body  Arnold I’ve Lost All My Organs! Game  Skin and the Integumentary System

Skeletal system:

Hip Resurfacing Joints of the body Human Bone Poem  Bones of the Body Song Coloring Skeleton Hip Replacement  Virtual Knee Replacement Labeling Bones of the body  Bones of the Skeleton Bone Games

Nervous System:

Brain Drain Sheep Brain Exploration Changing Illusions  Brains Rule Games How We Hear Human Eye MRI  Neuroscience Brain Games Immobile Illusions Parts of the Ear  Ear Pages Split Brain Experiments Planet Perplex Reaction Time  Nerve Wrecker N.S. Movie Blind Spot Hands On Eyeball

Lymphatic System:

Infectious Disease website Antibiotics Bacterial Invasion Flu Epidemic  Immune System Defender Defending Against Infection  Healing Cuts Tissue Invaders Rabies Lupus Aids  Medical Mysteries game Pneumonia Malaria H1N1 Flu  Antibiotics Movie Tracking malaria Immune Cells
Urinary System:

Urinary System movie Kidney Failure Kidney Stones

Endocrine/Reproductive System:

Hormones and Reproductive system Endocrine system movie

Circulatory System:

Heart Diagram Virtual Heart Transplant Blood Typing Game  Blood Flow through the Heart Heart Disease Heart & Fitness  Label the Heart Diagram Awesome Heart Animation  Heart Beat Monitor Heart Operation Virtual Open Heart   Heart Animations and Interactives ECG game

Respiratory System:

Lung Cancer Label the Respiratory System  Lung animations and interactives

Digestive System:

Hands on Gastrointestinal Tract  Digestion Animation Diet and Exercise Food Pyramid Game  Food Pyramid Sorter Digestive system labeling Milk

Wednesday: Today we begin the Digestive System.  For your bellwork, put the digestive cells, tissues, organs, and organ system in order of the levels of organization.  Following that, we will take a brief section of notes about the structure and function of the digestive system.  Then, we will label and color a diagram of the digestive system.  If we have time, we’ll watch a Digestion Animation

Homework for Wednesday:  Color your digestive system diagram and Dude.  Review digestive organs and their functions.  Prep INB for Friday’s quiz on pp. 107-120.

Thursday: After reviewing the digestive system organs using the Digestion Animation game, we are going to discuss an activity called “Trek the Tract.”  We are going to break up into groups and each group will be assigned a digestive tract organ: mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum.  You will research your organ and find answers to three questions about it.  You will write the answers to those three questions and draw a picture of that organ on a piece of ticker tape that is cut to the exact length of that organ.  When time is up, beginning with the mouth, groups will share their info with the class and then attach their ticker tape to the next groups until we have everyone’s connected and we can SEE just how long the digestive tract is inside of an average adult!

Homework for Thursday: Prepare your INB for tomorrow’s open notes quiz on pp. 107-120.

Friday: Today is your INB quiz covering pp. 107- 120.  Remember it’s worth three grades: Quiz grade, Classwork grade, and lab grade!

Homework for Friday:  Review notes

Please read this post in its entirety – very important information regarding my class.  I am currently at 38 weeks and could have baby Zaher any day now.  Although I would like to make it to the end of the semester, we never know when she might make an appearance.  Parents, I have planned my lessons through the time that I am gone until I return March 26th.  All copies, powerpoints and labs are prepped and ready for my sub, Mrs. Sumner.  She is a veteran science teacher and knows my curriculum, so I have no doubt she will be an asset to our classroom and to your child’s learning.  I have also set up my gradebook for next semester.  Please do not be alarmed if you see assignments with blanks – only those assignments marked with a zero or an “M” for missing should be of any concern.  I will continue to post my blog while I am out to keep you apprised of goings on within our classroom, but I will most likely not be available to conference with you or reply to emails very often.  Please reach out to Mrs. Sumner (florencesumner@att.net) in the interim if you have a concern that directly affects your child in the classroom.

As for your final week and a half of school…

I am posting this blog for the next two weeks since the following week is so short.  Just a little less than 1.5 weeks until we are done for the winter holiday! IB portfolios will be passed out and worked on during the 12th and 13th this week in all classes.  You are responsible for reflecting on their favorite piece of work from science – either a project that you have hung onto OR any page from your INB.  If you chose a piece from your INB, you will only include a reflection, not the piece of work, because we do not want to tear it out of our INB.

This week you’ll begin a project on the skeletal system called Dem Bones!  This awesome project will help you remember the bones of the body and is due no later than Monday of next week.  On Tuesday of next week, we will have a party to celebrate our upcoming holiday and also to say goodbye as I am leaving to start my family!  Bring in food, plates, cups, napkins, drinks, etc and let’s end the year with a fun party!

Report cards will come out in January and you will also see a change in advisory starting January 11.  Your advisory group will be your homeroom class and we will be meeting in the morning after homeroom starting January 11!

Human Body: Overview, Integumentary, Muscular, and Skeletal Systems

Standards: S7L2c, S7L2d, S7L2e, S7CS10, S7CS5

IB Connections: Human Ingenuity; Health & Social Education; Approaches to Learning

Objectives:  Students will identify the systems of the human body and their functions.  Students will understand how the systems relate to one another and work together to maintain homeostasis within the body.

Essential questions:

1. What are the levels of organization in the body?
2. What is homeostasis?
3. How do the systems of the body relate to one another?

Higher Level Questioning:

1.  How do the systems of the body work together to perform the necessary functions for life?

2.  How are the organ systems of the body similar to the organelles of a cell?

Websites for the Human Body and Integumentary System:

How the Body Works  InnerBody  Your Gross and Cool Body  Arnold I’ve Lost All My Organs! Game  Skin and the Integumentary System

Skeletal system:

Hip Resurfacing Joints of the body Human Bone Poem  Bones of the Body Song Coloring Skeleton Hip Replacement  Virtual Knee Replacement Labeling Bones of the body  Bones of the Skeleton Bone Games

Nervous System:

Brain Drain Sheep Brain Exploration Changing Illusions  Brains Rule Games How We Hear Human Eye MRI  Neuroscience Brain Games Immobile Illusions Parts of the Ear  Ear Pages Split Brain Experiments Planet Perplex Reaction Time  Nerve Wrecker N.S. Movie Blind Spot Hands On Eyeball

Lymphatic System:

Infectious Disease website Antibiotics Bacterial Invasion Flu Epidemic  Immune System Defender Defending Against Infection  Healing Cuts Tissue Invaders Rabies Lupus Aids  Medical Mysteries game Pneumonia Malaria H1N1 Flu  Antibiotics Movie Tracking malaria Immune Cells
Urinary System:

Urinary System movie Kidney Failure Kidney Stones

Endocrine/Reproductive System:

Hormones and Reproductive system Endocrine system movie

Circulatory System:

Heart Diagram Virtual Heart Transplant Blood Typing Game  Blood Flow through the Heart Heart Disease Heart & Fitness  Label the Heart Diagram Awesome Heart Animation  Heart Beat Monitor Heart Operation Virtual Open Heart   Heart Animations and Interactives ECG game

Respiratory System:

Lung Cancer Label the Respiratory System  Lung animations and interactives

Digestive System:

Hands on Gastrointestinal Tract  Digestion Animation Diet and Exercise Food Pyramid Game  Food Pyramid Sorter Digestive system labeling Milk

Monday: We’ll begin our unit on the human body with a fun interactive game with Arnold who lost all his organs.  Afterward, you’ll complete a short matching activity regarding the systems and their functions.  We’ll then complete a pre-assessment and a medical jargon sheet – an introductory vocabulary lesson that will teach you the roots, prefixes and suffixes that are used in the medical field.

Homework for Monday:  Finish Medical Jargon.

Tuesday: We will begin today by learning the levels of organization for our first body system – the Skin (aka. the Integumentary System).  We’ll follow that up with a short session of notes about skin, a diagram cross-section of the skin, and our first of many labs: Skin Sensitivity, where you’ll find out which area of the body has the most receptors!

Homework for Tuesday: Color and label the skin diagram and the “dude”.  Finish lab questions from today’s lab. 

Wednesday: Today is all about the Muscular System.  We will take brief notes, draw and color three diagrams showing the different types of muscle tissue, and then a lab about blinking.  Is blinking a voluntary or involuntary muscle action?  You’ll find out when you’re done!

Homework for Wednesday: Answer lab questions and study notes.  Finish coloring muscle diagrams and the “dude”

Thursday: We are focusing on the skeletal system today.  Before class is over you will have learned 35 bones of the human body and the functions and composition of the system.  You will need to know this information so you can work on our last project of the semester – Dem Bones!  The skeleton you label today will be a huge help with this project so please make sure you focus on your spelling and placement of the bone names.

Homework for Thursday:  Read over directions for Dem Bones

Friday:  Today is a project day.  You will get all class period to familiarize yourself with Dem Bones and ask any questions regarding the project.  Once I show you examples and you feel comfortable with the project guidelines, you will have the rest of class to work on it.  I will provide construction paper only.  If you wish to have poster board or any other kind of paper, please bring your own.

Homework for Friday:  Work on Dem Bones over the weekend and gather food, drink, supplies for party on Tuesday of next week.

Monday:  Today is your last day to work on Dem Bones.  Remember that the project must be done with a ruler pointing to all of the bones you need to identify and you must identify them on the left or right hand side of the page according to the directions.  Your skeleton must also be placed in some kind of scene as well to make the poster more interesting.  Don’t forget to include a key to show what all the colored circles mean and tape your rubric to the back of your project so I can grade it.  No rubric = 10 points off!!

Homework for Monday: Dem Bones due tomorrow at the latest.  Please bring food, drink, plates, napkins, candy, utensils for tomorrow’s party – happy holidays and goodbye.

Tuesday:  PARTY!  Today we will munch on snack and drink and watch a great holiday flick while we celebrate our long holiday break.

Homework for Tuesday:  Have a WONDERFUL and safe holiday and see you in 2012!!!

Parents and Students, the semester is drawing to a close, and I just want to remind everyone that after December 20th (provided baby Zaher doesn’t make an early appearance), I will not be returning to Sutton until March of 2012, just before the CRCT.  My substitute will be Mrs. Sumner, a veteran science teacher and previous faculty member of Sutton.  She is a wonderful teacher and I am absolutely comfortable leaving my students in her capable hands.  Please remember to reach out to her and Mrs. Vikingson should you have any questions or concerns.

This week we finish our Classification unit with Kingdom Animalia!  Because we have reached the end of our unit, you will have a BIG test that covers both Evolution and Classification.  This test may be a bit more difficult than ones in the past because it spans such a long period of time, but if you have continued studying like your homework suggests, you should do fine.  Make sure you understand how the dichotomous keys fit together and how each one works.  The Test will cover pgs. 65-110 in your INB and although it is open notes, you still need to be prepared to answer 40 questions in just 50 minutes.   Just two weeks left until the end of the semester so please stay on top of your school work! 

Also, it has come to my attention that there are TWO programs for girls (sorry boys!) in science in February.  Please read the following and contact the individuals mentioned if you or your daughter are interested!

1) Georgia Tech’s Women in Engineering Program , in collaboration with IBM and several local engineering firms, is hosting an event called ” Introduce a Girl (IAG) to Engineering” for middle school girls in 6th – 8th grade. This year’s program will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2012 in the Georgia Tech Student Center Ballroom from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Space is limited on a first-come, first-serve basis, so we encourage girls to register early.  If you have questions about this event, please email ann.blasick@coe.gatech.edu
2) GT’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) student chapter is hosting a Spring Middle School Engineering Outreach Program , targeted for females in grades 5-8 who are interested in math or science . The program will be offered on Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 9:00AM to 2:30PM on the Georgia Tech Campus. Space is limited to 100 girls on a first-come, first-serve basis, so register early! For more info and to register, please visit: http://swemsoutreachspring2012.eventbrite.com/ . If you have any questions about this event, please email Maggie or Pooja at swemsoutreach@gmail.com.

Monday:  We introduce Invertebrate animals using a vocabulary sheet that discusses animal symmetry.  Then we will watch a Bill Nye movie on Invertebrates!

Homework for Monday: Study notes- BIG test Friday on pp. 65-110

Tuesday:  We continue with invertebrate animals as we receive our dichotomous key for the animal group.  Fill in all of the notes and color the pictures when you are done.

Homework for Tuesday: Study notes- Evolution & Classification Test Friday on pp. 65-110

Wednesday:  Today you receive your last dichotomous key for the unit on Classification!  Vertebrate animals ends our unit and you will complete the key and also play a game with the promethean board to match the characteristics with the correct vertebrate animal group.

Homework for Wednesday- Study notes- Evolution & Classification Test Friday

Thursday:  Are you ready for Friday’s test?  If not, I hope this study guide helps you.  It will cover both Evolution & Classification and by completing it, I can guarantee it will benefit you in the long run.  Get it finished in class and study it tonight.  Remember though, not everything on your test is on the study guide- anything in the INB from pages 65-110.

Homework for Thursday: Study notes- Test tomorrow!

Friday:  Today’s test is 40 questions long and cover pp. 65-100 in your INB for Evolution and Classification.  It is open notes but that does not mean that it is easy!  If you completed your study guide and understood the questions from it, you should do just fine!

Homework for Friday: Relax!

Please read the blog post in its entirety- there is some important information that I want my parents to be aware of concerning my classroom.  Thank you!

Deficiencies went out on Friday so please make sure you ask your child if they have one, get it signed, and have it returned to their teacher- I give 100 points towards any missing homework so it’s a free grade!  On Wednesday, advisory groups will be meeting and the theme of our time together is: Being Thankful.  This is a perfect way to lead into Thanksgiving next week!   Also, this Friday we have an assembly so we will be on an altered schedule.

Many kids have been noticing, but she hasn’t officially said anything until today – Mrs. Vikingson is 5 months pregnant with her second child,  a little boy! She is due in mid-March and will be gone from that date until May 14 when she will be back for the last week of school with the kids.  She and I are working closely to ensure that everyone is well taken care of during both of our absences.  I am due in late December and will be back the day that Mrs. Vikingson is due!!  To make this easy on everyone, we are planned for the rest of the year (worksheets, powerpoints, projects, all completed) and ready to help out our substitute teachers.  Even in my absence, I know this year will be a successful one for my students!  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding my absence. And please don’t be afraid to reach out to Mrs. Vikingson during my leave. 

Unit:  Classification – Protists and Fungi

Standards:  S7L1a, S7L1b

Objectives:

Students will understand how scientists classify organisms according to their characteristics by using a dichotomous key.  Students will relate their knowledge of the characteristics of living things to classify organisms into the appropriate groups.
Essential Questions:

1.       How does the hierarchy of organization result in the complexity and diversity of organisms?

2.       How does reproduction vary among organisms?

3.       How does the construction of a dichotomous key help you to see the similarities and differences among organisms in the 6 kingdoms?

Higher Level Questioning:

1.  Why are there so many different kinds of organisms?

2.  Why are there fewer animals than plants?

International Baccalaureate

Human Ingenuity, Approaches to Learning

Classification Websites:

A Walk in the Forest A Touch of Class Lifecycles of Animals and plants

Animals Websites:

Creature Feature Walk in the Woods- animals Animal Migration Biodiversity of Animals Quiz Animal articles quizzes games Wacky water creatures Virtual Owl Pellet How Fish Get Oxygen Grasshopper Exploration Newton’s Apple free Animal Movies Pavlov’s Dog Seafood Surgery Virtual Worm Tour Build an Animal Skeleton Evolution of Flight in Birds

Plant Websites:

Fern Lifecycles Photosynthesis Movie Photosynthesis up close Wonderville Photosynthesis Plant Reproduction Plants in Motion

Pollen Park Root Factory Great Plant Escape Plant Life Cycle Potato Story Tree Cookie Types of Fruits Vascular Plants

Plant Life Cycles Plant Resources Cycles of Life in Plants

Protist Websites:

Protist Movies Pond Life Protists

Moneran (Eubacteria & Archaebacteria) Websites:

Bad Bacteria Disease Detectives Antibiotic Resistance Infectious Disease website Antibiotics Bacterial Invasion Flu Epidemic

Immune System Defender Defending Against Infection Healing Cuts Tissue Invaders Rabies Lupus Aids

Medical Mysteries game Pneumonia Malaria H1N1 Flu Antibiotics Movie Tracking malaria Immune Cells

Monday: Now that we have our first two Kingdoms behind us (Archaebacteria & Eubacteria), we are on our way to the remaining Kingdoms.  Today we are going to begin Kingdom Protista.  We will take a brief section of notes and you will draw and label several pictures of the three types of protists: Animal-like, Plant-like, and Fungus-like.  If time allows, you will receive the directions for your protist mini poster project we will complete tomorrow.

Homework for Monday: Study notes, color Protist pictures, and complete Cells chapter from escience3000.

Tuesday: Today is a quick project day!  In class, you will pair up with a partner to create a poster about an Animal-like, Plant-like, or Fungus-like Protist.  You will answer several questions about the protist along with decide which group it belongs in.  At the end of class, everyone will present their protist and then hang their poster in the appropriate section of the bulletin board by group.

Homework for Tuesday: Study vocabulary, finish protist pictures and work on Cells for escience3000

Wednesday: Another page added to our dichotomous key field guide!  Today we are taking notes on Kingdom Fungi.  When we are done taking notes, we will complete some pictures and label them..

Homework for Wednesday: Study notes, complete Fungi pictures and do Cells for escience3000.

Thursday: Are ye ready for yer Treasure Hunt of the Fungi??!!  Arrrgh…I’ve lost me treasure and need yar help!  Follow yar dichotomous key far mushrooms and discover yar treasure in the end!  No really, it’s not a chest of gold but it still is valuable- KNOWLEDGE!   Learn about the kingdom fungi and different species of fungi by completing this fun dichotomous key.  Enjoy!

Homework for Thursday: Study notes, finish map and do Cells for escience3000

Friday:  Happy Thanksgiving!  Along with having an assembly today, we will celebrate the beginning of our holiday, by disguising turkeys so they don’t get eaten for dinner!  Use the variety of “costumes” that are provided to you or create your own.  Have a great week off!!!

Homework for Friday: Do Cells for escience3000 and have a great week off!

Good afternoon parents  -

Please be advised that deficiency notices go out this Friday for grades of 79 and below for science class.  Please check the parent portal and speak with your child about their grades frequently in order to ensure that your child does not receive a notice.  Should your child receive a deficiency notice, please sign a copy of it and return it to me no later than Monday, November 14th.

Thanks…

Mrs. Z

Students, please BRING YOUR SUPPLIES TO CLASS EVERYDAY.  Many days, many of you come without the needed materials:  please know that this includes your INB, pencil, pen, colored pencils, and a glue stick.  EVERYDAY.  No exceptions.